Playsets for toy vehicles may include linear segments. Such linear segments may result in a toy that must either be assembled for use and disassembled for storage, or that is difficult to transport and store by virtue of its length and size.
Playsets for toy vehicles may include track segments that are substantially straight, and/or include sections of track that are sufficiently long that the resulting playset must both be assembled for use and disassembled for storage. Additionally, the playset may be difficult to transport and store.
It would be advantageous to have substantially self-contained vehicle playsets that can be readily stored and/or transported without disassembly, can be readily converted to an operable configuration, and offer exciting play opportunities.
Examples of foldable vehicle playsets can be found in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,572,436, 6,554,685, 6,146,238, 6,099,380, 5,961,149, 5,839,937, 4,946,413, 4,937,207, 4,898,404, 4,349,983, 3,108,398, 1,914,116, and UK Patents GB002178331 and GB002159721. Examples of vehicle tracksets with movable components include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,089,951, 5,970,882, 5,542,668, 5,435,553, 5,299,969, 4,999,604, 4,661,080, 4,642,066, 4,536,168, 4,504,242, 4,479,326, 4,472,906, 4,423,871, 4,364,566, 4,247,107, 3,926,434, 3,531,118, 3,510,631, and 2,992,598. Examples of articulated toy figures responsive to impact can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,280,286, 3,856,304, 3,235,259, 2,088,510, and the classic “Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots” game by Mattel, Inc. Examples of playsets in which a mechanical figure advances along a track can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,599,365, 3,545,757, and 3,477,172. The disclosures of all of the patents, patent applications, and publications recited herein are incorporated herein by reference.